As 2015 closes, I’d like to thank you for making leader development part of your life. It means a lot that you commit to developing yourself through reflection, discourse, and study. And it means even more that you employ that insight to grow those you are responsible for leading. I hope The Military Leader has been a valuable part of that leader development process.
U.S. Army photo by Staff Sgt. Armando R. Limon
2015 was a great year! Traffic on the site doubled from 10k to 20k monthly views and the connected social media network grew by several thousand. While there were several 2015 posts that did well, as I break down the numbers I see that the four overall most popular posts were actually from last year (SOF Selection, Military Blogs, Command Speech, and HRC). The blogging world calls them evergreen posts because of their timeless popularity and relevance. I think that a couple of this year’s posts will fall into the same category, but just haven’t generated the numbers yet (Battalion Command Selection, Most Important Leadership Quote).
But what I concluded last year still holds true. Sharing is decisive. This content does not survive unless readers do something with the posts they read. Referrals on social media and in person truly fulfill the mission of The Military Leader because they show that the content is having a tangible impact for the force. I’m grateful to the individual readers and groups like the Military Writers Guild, DoctrineMan!!, Task & Purpose, and the Special Operations Recruiting Battalion for highlighting the content on their sites. Milestones this year included a podcast interview with Mike and Tristan from Leadership On Tap, and an article for Inc. Magazine, the first major publication to pick up a Military Leader post.
(U.S. Air Force photo by Staff Sgt. John Bainter)
As we roll into 2016, I’m excited to tell that you that I’ve got several projects in the works, including a #Leadership series with The Strategy Bridge, a e-book of content from The Military Leader, and a totally new site called Command Journey that will explore the personal nature of the command experience. Be sure to look out for those!
Thanks again for making The Military Leader a worthwhile endeavor and for supporting the cause of leader development. And without further delay, here are the most popular posts of 2015 (with page views next to the link):
The Secret to a Blister-free Foot March 7534
Making Sense of Battalion Command Selection 7380
The Most Important Leadership Quote You’ll Read in 2015 6658
“Sir, you humiliated us.” – A Commander’s Lesson in Leadership [Guest Post by Joel Martinez] 6086
Leadership in Action: Colonel Charles A. Beckwith [Guest Post by Phil Walter] 3163
I Admit It….I Forgot How to Workout 2821
Making Destructive Comments (Habit Series #4) 2241
Achieving Effects with Your Boss, pt. 1: First Impressions 2036
This is #Slack…and Here’s How Your Unit Can Use It 2024
Adding Too Much Value (Habit Series #2) 1950
What Combat Leaders Need to Know About Neuroscience 1917
The evergreen posts (published in 2014 w/2015 page views):
9 Misguided Reasons to go to SOF Selection 24,121
7 Military Blogs You Need to Check Out 10,858
How to Write a Change of Command Speech 7932
8 Myths About HRC Assignment Officers 7693
Why “It is what it is” Is a Stupid Phrase 6742
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